In January at City Winery, veteran roots-rock poet Steve Earle performs an extended string of solo performances where his storytelling illuminates and enlivens his unfussy playing. Earlier this year the singer dropped an impressive collaboration with Shawn Colvin, the product of a 2014 duo tour in which both artists sang tunes, then explained them. It’s only a matter of time before Earle drops a solo record chronicling those kinds of shows, but for now his most recent album is 2015’s Terraplane (New West), an effort that gravitates toward electric blues, albeit a version spiked with twang to provide an effective setting for his hard-luck tales. In addition to Earle’s pair of performances tonight and tomorrow night, he returns to the venue January 24 and 25.